Holdings

Shares of Crown Holdings (CCK +0.04%), the maker of aluminum cans and other packaging supplies, reported better-than-expected results in its third-quarter earnings report, sporting solid growth on the top and bottom lines. It also raised its guidance for the full year.

As of 11:48 a.m. ET, the stock was up 3.7% on the news.

Image source: Getty Images.

Crown Holdings raises the bar

In a fluid environment where tariffs have roiled global manufacturers like Crown Holdings, the company is still managing to deliver growth. In the third quarter, revenue rose 4.2% to $3.2 billion, topping estimates at $3.14 billion.

The company experienced strong growth in Europe, with volume growth up 12% in the European beverage segment, which drove a 27% increase in segment income. Other regions were mixed.

Overall, segment income, which adjusts operating income for one-time charges and intangibles amortization, was up 4% to $490 million, and adjusted earnings per share (EPS) increased 13% to $2.24, which beat the consensus at $1.99.

Today’s Change

(0.04%) $3.93

Current Price

$98.34

Key Data Points

Market Cap

$11B

Day’s Range

$97.47 – $102.85

52wk Range

$75.98 – $109.48

Volume

1.4M

Avg Vol

1.3M

Gross Margin

18.55%

Dividend Yield

0.01%

Crown lifts its guidance

Management said it was raising its full-year forecast based on its performance through the first three quarters of the year. The company now expects adjusted earnings per share of $7.70 to $7.80, up from a previous forecast of $7.10 to $7.50. For the fourth quarter, it sees adjusted EPS of $1.65 to $1.75, which compares to the consensus at $1.58.

Following the report, Jefferies reiterated a buy rating on the stock, calling it “undervalued.”

At a price-to-earnings ratio of less than 13, Crown looks well priced for a category leader that’s growing in a challenging environment.

Digital bank Nu Holdings (NU 2.00%) has a market capitalization of $72 billion — and that makes it a sizable business. However, many American investors might not know that much about the company because it operates in Latin America and has no U.S. presence.

Here’s a perfect example of why it’s important to understand that there are investment opportunities in international markets. This fintech stock might prove that point. Should you buy Nu Holdings while it’s trading below $16? Here’s why that might be a smart decision.

Image source: Getty Images.

Customer additions and revenue growth are through the roof

The market loves a good growth story — and Nu Holdings is exactly that. The company’s customer base went from 65 million at the end of Q2 2022 to 123 million as of June 30. In Nu’s home country of Brazil, the business counts 60% of the adult population as its customers. Newer markets of Mexico and Colombia are registering remarkable success, even though Nu’s penetration is still in the early stages in these countries.

Nu is benefiting from some notable tailwinds. It helps that internet and smartphone penetration in Latin America continue to grow. This provides a favorable backdrop for a digital-only bank like Nu to find broader adoption.

Essentially, Nu is riding the wave of the Latin American economy’s development. Given that a large portion of the population here is still unbanked or underbanked, Nu still has lots of potential for growth.

The company’s revenue increased 29% year over year in Q2. Wall Street consensus sell-side analyst estimates believe the top line will rise by 67% between 2025 and 2027. That outlook should make shareholders excited.

Nu’s focus on product innovation should help it reach more customers. Management has also hinted at entering new countries in the future, basically replicating strategies that have worked so well in its existing markets.

This is an extremely profitable enterprise

Companies that have access to cheap capital usually care about growth more than anything else when it comes to strategic priorities. That’s why over the past decade or so, some businesses have put up huge gains, adding customers and increasing sales rapidly. The issue, however, is that these companies don’t care about profits.

Nu bucks this trend and stands out. It’s an extremely profitable enterprise, which might be a surprise to many. Nu registered $1.2 billion in net income through the first six months of 2025. That translated to a phenomenal net profit margin of 17.4%. The margin has generally increased in recent years, which underscores the company’s ability to scale up in a lucrative manner.

Investors should pay attention to the unit economics. It cost the company $0.80 per month in Q2 to serve the average customer. But on the flip side, the average revenue per active customer came in at $12.20. After viewing these two figures, it makes sense why the leadership team is trying to grow so quickly.

Nu also has the advantage of not running any physical bank branches. A brick-and-mortar retail strategy like this would entail sizable operating expenses. Nu avoids this, which can help drive higher margins over time.

This fintech stock trades at a reasonable valuation

In the past three years, Nu’s shares have skyrocketed 262% (as of Oct. 16), thanks to incredible fundamental performs that has caught the market’s attention. After such a phenomenal gain, investors might be questioning the stock’s appeal. The last thing you’d want to do is overpay.

That’s certainly not the case here. The valuation still looks very compelling. Investors can buy the stock at a forward price-to-earnings ratio of 18.7. At under $16 per share, there is sizable upside over the next five years from the possibility of both higher earnings and valuation expansion.

SEOUL, Oct. 13 (UPI) — South Korean chemical giant OCI Holdings said Monday it will enter the solar wafer business to target the U.S. market by acquiring a facility being built in Vietnam.

Toward that end, its subsidiary, OCI TerraSus, plans to spend $78 million to purchase a 65% stake in a 2.7-gigawatt wafer plant from Elite Solar Power Wafer, which is scheduled for completion by the end of this month.

OCI Holdings expects the factory to start rolling out wafers early next year, without having to worry about U.S. tax-credit restrictions.

A solar wafer is a tin slice of crystalline silicon that serves as the primary building block for manufacturing solar cells.

The United States introduced legislation in early July barring prohibited foreign entities from receiving clean energy tax credits. These are entities controlled or significantly influenced by such nations as North Korea, China, Russia and Iran.

OCI Holdings projected that the deal would create synergy because OCI TerraSus is set to provide all the polysilicon needed for the new facility to manufacture non-prohibited foreign entity wafers.

The Seoul-based corporation said the plant’s capacity could be doubled within six months with an additional $40 million investment. However, it has yet to decide whether to proceed with the expansion.

“This strategic investment brings us closer to building a supply chain that facilitates U.S. exports,” OCI Holdings Chairman Lee Woo-hyun said in a statement. “We will continue to strengthen our presence in the global solar market by fostering partnerships with local companies in Southeast Asia.”

In July, OCI TerraSus joined hands with Japan’s Tokuyama to channel $435 million into establishing a semiconductor-grade polysilicon factory in Malaysia. Each company holds a 50% stake in the project.

On reports that it has secured a new deal with a major company in the chip sector, Arm Holdings (ARM 6.28%) saw a leap in share price Wednesday. The U.K.-based semiconductor specialist’s equity increased to close the day over 6% higher, crushing the 0.3% gain of the S&P 500 (^GSPC 0.34%) that trading session.

Speculation about a new gig

Reuters published an article stating that leading mobile chip company Qualcomm has elected to use Arm’s current technology in its products. Citing unidentified “sources familiar with the matter,” the news agency said that Qualcomm’s recently introduced PC and smartphone chips will be packed with the ninth version of Arm’s tech.

Image source: Getty Images.

That report surely caught many Arm- and Qualcomm-watchers off guard, as just the day before, the two companies received the latest judgment in a long-running dispute over licensing brought by the former over Qualcomm’s Snapdragon X chipsets. Judge Maryellen Noreika quashed Arm’s request for a full retrial on the matter.

Arm has pledged to appeal the ruling; however, at the same time, it’s clearly eager to continue doing business with Qualcomm, a client of long standing despite the legal tussle.

Numbers wanted

The Reuters article did not provide any numbers for the apparent deal, so even if the reporting is accurate, it’s difficult to ascertain what it might mean for Arm’s financials.

Also, at this point it’s as-yet unconfirmed speculation, regardless investors are justifiably glad the specialty tech company might have earned this latest Qualcomm work. They’re also surely relieved that the lawsuit has been resolved — at least this stage of it.

Torrid Holdings(CURV 0.21%) reported second quarter 2025 results on Aug. 4, 2025, with net sales of $262.8 million and adjusted EBITDA of $21.5 million, in line with internal expectations but reflecting a 6.9% year-over-year comparable sales decline. Management highlighted a strategic pivot toward digital-led growth, accelerated store closures, increased marketing investment, and rapid expansion of higher-margin sub-brands, while navigating tariff headwinds and maintaining liquidity for capital returns. The following insights detail the most significant strategic and financial developments from the call.

Store closures accelerate Torrid Holdings’ digital transition

During the second quarter, the company closed 57 underperforming stores and remains on track to close approximately 180 locations in fiscal 2025, with digital sales now nearing 70% of total demand. This store rationalization is designed to concentrate resources on more profitable digital and omni-channel operations, while a revamped retention strategy aims to preserve customer relationships as the physical footprint shrinks.

“With digital sales approaching 70% of total demand, we are executing a comprehensive realignment that capitalizes on this fundamental shift while strengthening customer relationships across all touch points. To that end, we have been closely tracking customer retention throughout the course of our store closures, and the results remain in line with our objectives. Our target is to retain at least 60% of customers, consistent with historical performance following closures. Encouragingly, retention trends from the 2025 closures are outperforming fiscal 2024 with a greater share of customers migrating to our online platform.”
— Lisa Harper, Chief Executive Officer

This digital migration, coupled with stable customer retention, demonstrates the company’s ability to adapt its business model and maintain engagement despite a shrinking store base.

Sub-brands drive margin expansion and growth for Torrid Holdings

Sub-brand penetration is expected to double in the third quarter and reach 25%-30% of the assortment in fiscal 2026, already delivering “hundreds of basis points” higher product margins than legacy categories. Large-scale refixturing—135 stores year to date—has enabled expanded in-store sub-brand presence, and launches have shown positive halo effects on core denim and intimates.

“we’re still very happy with the margin profile that we’re seeing in sub-brands. And it’s delivering hundreds of basis points higher in product margins than the bulk of the business. And we’re seeing that consistently perform as we roll out more and more deliveries of these. I think there are a few ways that we contemplate expansion past 2026 in this business, whether there are — and we’ll test some of these ideas next year, whether there are stores that we convert to more of a focus on sub-brands.”
— Lisa Harper, Chief Executive Officer

The incremental margin from sub-brands enables reinvestment in scale initiatives and supports the company’s goal of 150-250 basis points of adjusted EBITDA margin expansion in fiscal 2026, even as marketing spend rises.

Capital allocation shifts prioritize shareholder returns and debt reduction

The company repurchased approximately 6 million shares at $3.50 per share using $20 million in cash as part of its $100 million buyback authorization, reducing the remaining authorization to approximately $45 million. Total liquidity, including available borrowing, stood at $111.7 million, and the company proactively extended its asset-based loan (ABL) maturity to 2030.

“We currently have an active $100 million authorization for share repurchase, of which we have approximately $45 million remaining. We also intend to deploy free cash flow to further reduce our debt, fortifying our balance sheet for long-term financial flexibility. At the same time, we remain committed to investing selectively in initiatives that drive profitable growth and improve customer retention, ensuring that our capital decisions not only provide immediate returns, but also strengthen the foundation for future growth.”
— Lisa Harper, Chief Executive Officer

Simultaneous share buybacks and debt reduction, even during a period of EBITDA and net income compression, signal management’s confidence in future cash generation and intrinsic equity value.

Looking Ahead

Management revised fiscal 2025 guidance to net sales of $1.015 billion to $1.030 billion and adjusted EBITDA of $80 million to $90 million, reflecting increased tariffs and a $5 million boost in digital marketing spend, now forecast at 6% of sales. The company is targeting 150-250 basis points of adjusted EBITDA margin expansion and substantial free cash flow uplift in fiscal 2026, driven primarily by store closures and sub-brand growth. Capital allocation priorities for 2026 are focused on further share repurchases and debt reduction, supported by ongoing inventory discipline, with year-end comparable inventories expected to decline by mid-to-high single digits year-over-year.